Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to partially take over Manchester United is being delayed.
The British billionaire, who is largely considered to be the country's richest man, is due to take a 25% stake at the club and will also take control of most footballing matters.
But reports now suggest that the plan to announce the arrival of the INEOS chiefs before Tuesday's game against Bayern Munich have now been pushed back.
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The Daily Mail report that the deal is likely to be announced in two weeks' time.
It is claimed that the push back is down to 'legal structural' matters are causing the finalisation of the deal to be put on pause.
There is still a chance that the announcement comes in the new year, if matters continue to be unresolved, but all parties want to wrap it up as early as possible.
But in positive news for United fans, the deal is not expected to encounter any obstacles or stumbling blocks before it is officially completed.
The Glazer family, currently in charge of United, will retain a majority stake when the deal is done.
Ratcliffe's £1.3billion purchase will give him 25 per cent of the A-shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the same amount of B-shares, which have greater voting power.
The Daily Star exclusively revealed last month that sporting director John Murtough will be leaving Old Trafford when Ratcliffe takes over.
Chief executive officer Richard Arnold is also stepping away from the club as part of the raft of changes that Ratcliffe is due to make when he gets full control of the footballing side of the club.
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Ratcliffe is overseeing a root and branch review of how the club is run behind the scenes. Along with fellow INEOS director and former British Cycling chief Sir Dave Brailsford, Ratcliffe is keen to establish why United have been malfunctioning in recent years.
It's understood Ratcliffe has been less than impressed with United's recruitment in the transfer market, and holds Murtough responsible. United tried but failed to sign England stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice in the summer.
Murtough became United's first ever football director when he was promoted to the role from his previous position as the club's head of football development. He was tasked with overseeing operations and strategy across all football functions at the club.
Murtough joined United in November 2013, having worked with David Moyes at Everton. Prior to that that he was head of elite performance at the Premier League, following senior academy and player development roles at other clubs.
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